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about
It's a Monday. It's hot. Here in New Orleans we have a long way to go before we get through summer, not to mention Hurricane Season... Fortunately we have a really fun party for you today! It’s another track from our May 24 session featuring the "Brass 8 + 1."
"A Laibediga Honga" ("A Lively Dance") was originally recorded by Harry Kandel and his Orchestra sometime between 1915 and 1927, probably in Philadelphia. We started playing it in the brass band a few Carnivals ago.
My fondest memory of this tune is from the final leg of our day with the St Anthony Ramblers, Mardi Gras 2020. We were 17 players strong coming down Chartres Street from Jackson Square and turning left onto a very crowded Frenchmen. The band was raging and the crowd parted as we took over the street, clearing a path to the finish line out front the Spotted Cat.
Just wow: the raw, thrilling power of this band, playing this tune full tilt on that street that afternoon. I especially remember trombonists Jon Ramm and Colin Myers blowing the "shmaltzy" lick from the "C" section that you can hear Colin play on this track.
According to Wikipedia (which Panorama supports financially <in small amounts> and invites you to as well), Harry Kandel was born in Poland, studied clarinet at the conservatory at Odessa and played in a Russian military band before immigrating to New York in 1904. He worked the Vaudeville circuit for several years but eventually settled in Philadelphia, got married, formed his band and, between 1915 and 1927 did a bunch of recording. After that, he pretty much quit music and fed his family via the retail business handling musical instruments and recordings, then radios and eventually refrigerators and other electrical appliances.
But his musical legacy is unique because he was not only a great player but a great bandleader and was based out of Philadelphia which had its own Jewish ecosystem, distinct from the bigger and more assertive New York scene. Among his musicians was the renowned xylophonist Jacob Hoffman whose daughter, Elaine Hoffman Watts, was a drummer and mentored a lot of the current generation of klezmer players. She and her daughter, Susan Lankin-Watts, showed up when we played at a synagogue in Philly several years ago, and Elaine (may her memory be for a blessing) even showed Doug some stuff after the show. Then, on our next trip, they loaned us a drum set for the weekend.
Sending this one out to Susan and all our klezmer peeps in Philly including trombonist Dan Blacksberg, drummer Gregg Mervine and the West Philadelphia Orchestra, Cantor Jamie Marx at Temple Sholom and Yiddish dance teacher (my new dancing buddy) Steve Weintraub.
Thanks for listening and thanks for all your support. Please tell two friends about "Good Music For You" and let's make a party, y'all!
credits
from
Song-of-the-Month Club: Good Music For You,
track released July 1, 2022
Credits:
Panorama BRASS Band
Ben Schenck - Clarinet
Aurora Nealand - Alto Saxophone
Jack Pritchett - Trumpet
Nathan Wolman - Flugelhorn
Colin Myers - Trombone
Mark Rubin - Tenor Banjo
Jimmy Williams - Sousaphone
Boyanna Trayanova - Snare Drum
Chris Davis - Bass Drum and cymbal
Composer - Harry Kandel (PD)
Arranger - Ben Schenck (Snack Daddy Music/ASCAP) and Panorama Brass Band
Publisher - Snack Daddy Music
Recorded by Mack Major on May 24, 2022 at Marigny Studios, New Orleans, LA
Mixed and mastered by Lu Rojas
Photo of instruments by Ben Schenck
Graphic design by Ben Schenck
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